We were lucky to catch up with Jon Marie Rogers recently and have shared our conversation below.
Jon Marie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?
As a young girl, I would ask my dad every mother’s day to take me to Michael’s craft sotre. I would purchase a shirt and paint to make my mom a mother’s day gift. Doing this brought me peace and happiness. It was all an idea in my head that one day, I would get better and do this full time. Fast forward to my adult life, age 28, while on maternity leave I began researching how to start a t-shirt business. I wanted to make my own shirts, so that I could stand out and be different (difFer3nt). Again it was an idea becuase money was an issue to purchase materials and equipment that was needed. Then, I saved enought money to purchase a heat press machine, that forced me to use a middle man to print out my designs. Over the next year or so, I purchased everything I needed in order to run my business from home. I had to figure out where to store my items, figure out how I would get clients and how I would market myself and the brand I was wanting to build. It took about three years for me to actually get up and running as a profitable home-based business. In 2022, I have launched three brands that I design and print for, as well as have a great customer base. To this day, when I go in my office to work and create, it brings me peace and happiness.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Jon Marie Rogers and I am the proud business of N. A. P. Productions, llc. I got into the industry becuase I never found what I really wanted while in stores, I am a t-shirt and tennis shoes type of woman. That is what truly got me in the industry. I print, design and sell t-shirts along with other apparel items; such as hoodies, joggers, hats, jackets, the list goes on. I solve the problems of my clients not having things to go with certain shoes or pants, I bring their ideas to life. What sets me apart from others is that I am unique, I am out of the box and create things that others would not think to create. I am most proud of being able to launch my daughters their own track and apparel line, something we can never find in the stores. I want my potential clients and followers to know that it is Not A Problem for me to get the job done for you. I go for the high quality items that normal t-shirt printers would not purchase, providing great quality and great prices.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
Funding my business was hard, but at the same time a learning experience. The initial capital for my business came from me using my income tax money. I used that money to purchase the essential items that were needed in order to be fully functional from home, not having to use a middle man. After I was able to purchase my equipment, I immediately starting making items that were trending so that I could make my money back and make money back.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I used to post a great deal on social media, posting every shirt that I ever made, every hoodie and would always share my ideas. After doing this for so long, I started to see my followers take my ideas as well as start to use the same marketing strategies that I used. It made me so upset that I stopped posting on social media because I felt that people close to me were trying to take my original ideas and make them their own. It broke me down and my clients started to go to this person. After having a difficult conversation with a close friend of mine; I was reminded of how talented and resilient I was, that I shoudl not let anyone or a situation break me down like it really almost did. I had to dust myself off and remember that my talent and gift was given by God and that no one could take that away from me, only try and duplicate. My business and my clientelle are mine and that’s all that mattered.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.napbnloyal.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/napbnloyal
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/napbnloyal
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-marie-rogers-a976b34a/
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/napproductions